1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates generally to cases and pocketbooks, particularly pocketed cases for holding several items in an organized manner, and more particularly to an organizer apparatus which holds numerous items in an easily organized manner for retrieval or display, and which is foldable for compactness.
2. Background Art
Previous efforts abound to provide an item organizer that is conveniently sized, and yet permits a vast array of items to be neatly organized for carrying and retrieval. An older example of an effort in this regard is U.S. Pat. No. 860,264 to Stevens, which teaches the construction of a case for holding many eyeglass lenses, and which rolls up for compact storage. A number of early devices in the art of pocketbooks and portfolios were directed to providing a way to display samples, for example, for use in sales presentations. U.S. Pat. No. 1,085,950 to Steinthal, entitled "Portfolio for Displaying Samples," and U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,542 to Steinthal, entitled "Case for Displaying Samples," disclose types of sample cases which can be collapsed to smaller sizes for carrying. Frequently, folders and portfolios which may hold several items are folded to reduce their size, as seen for example in the older U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,973 to Hambrock, entitled "Multisectioned Folder," U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,867 to Langer, entitled "Hosiery Purse," and U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,677 to Toomey, entitled "Wallet." While all these devices include either multiple pockets and/or foldable multi-panel construction, they all are either too complicated for convenient use, especially for display, or sacrifice security of contents for the sake of simplicity. Also, many previous foldable portfolios have been unable to hold thicker, substantially non-planar items.
The need for simple yet effective organizer portfolios has continued to the present, and efforts to meet the need are manifest by the more recent U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,153 to Valls Rius, entitled "Display Device for Displaying Articles in a Bulged Condition," U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,852 to Hess, entitled "Plastic Siding Sample Case," and U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,547 to Brown, entitled "Carrying Bag." Even more recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,899 was issued to Barrett, U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,401 was issued to Blackman, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,673 was issued to Adams. The more modem cases typically are comparatively complex and expensive which, while perhaps providing some added specialized features, are too cumbersome for an organized, appealing display during use. Against this background of unfilled needs, the instant invention was developed.